The present invention relates to a locking device for a detachable and openable automobile roof and, more particularly, to a locking device adapted for detachably and tiltably securing the rear edge of a lid to the corresponding edge of the opening formed in the roof panel.
An openable roof of an automobile has a roof panel 1 in which an opening 2 is formed as shown in FIG. 1. A lid 3 adapted to close the opening 2 is detachably secured at its front edge to the front edge of the opening 2 by means of a hinge device which is not shown. At the same time, the rear edge of the lid 3 is secured tiltably and detachably to the rear edge 4r of the opening. As the lid 3 is tilted, the cabin is communicated with the ambient air and is ventilated. The opening 2 can be fully opened as the lid 3 is detached from the edge of the opening.
For the openable roof of the type described, a locking device L as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is conventionally used.
More specifically, the locking device L has a base plate 5 fixed to the rear edge 4r of the roof opening, while a handle 7 is pivotally supported at its base end by the rear edge of a lid 3 through the medium of a bracket 13. The base plate 5 is connected at its front end to a substantially central portion of the handle 7 by means of a link 8 to form a toggle connecting mechanism. A pivot shaft 14 for pivotally connecting the base portion of the handle 7 is constituted by a pair of pivot pins 14a, 14b provided with knobs B,B. The pivot pins 14a, 14b are interconnected to each other by means of a spring 15. In operation, the lid 3 is locked in the closed state by the action of the above-mentioned toggle connection, and is locked in the opened state at the end of tilting motion of the lid 3. Also, at the stroke end of the tilting motion, the pair of pivot pins 14a, 14b are brought together and are withdrawn from the bearing 16 of the bracket 13, thereby to permit the rear edge of the lid 3 to be detached from the rear edge 4r of the roof opening.
In this conventional locking device L, however, the detaching of the lid 3 is made only through a troublesome work of tilting the rear edge of the lid 3, locking the lid 3 at the stroke end of the tilting motion in the opening position, urging side pins 17, 17 or knobs B,B toward each other by one hand while holding the rear edge of the lid 3 by the other hand, and withdrawing the pivot pins 14a, 14b from the bearing 16. In addition, in withdrawing the pivot pins 14a, 14b, it is necessary that substantially equal forces are applied to both pivot pins 14a, 14b, for otherwise one of the pivot pins will remain in the bearing 16.